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Just behind poor fishing technique and inept netting technique the most prolific reason for fish being lost is a problem with a knot. There are more knots than you can poke a stick at that can be used in fly fishing and over time you will settle on a few that you tie well and have confidence in. Over the years I have tried a lot of different knots and currently I have settled on the following 6 knots. I say currently because all aspects of my fly fishing are constantly evolving and if a find a better knot for any of the applications described below I will have no hesitation in swapping over to that knot.

I have fished with a few surgeons and asked them about this knot and they certainly don't use it in the practice of their surgical art so I don't know where its name comes from. That doesn't worry me because it is simply the best knot I know off for joining two lengths of similar or dissimilar lines together. It works well when building leaders or when adding a fluorocarbon tippet to a monofilament leader.

A	It's best to get into the habit of having the main line on you off side (I'm right handed so that's my left side) and the section of line to be connected on the right. Hold the two lines parallel.

B	I think that the real trick with this knot and many other knots is two fold. Using your thumb and for fingers stretch the two lines to be joined so that they sit next to each other with no twist in the lines. Don't release your grip on both ends of the lines to be joined until you have formed the loop that follows and then carefully transfer your grip from your dominant hand to your other hand making sure that the lines that have been held parallel to each other don't twist.

C	Form a simple overhand loop.

D	Take the tag ends i.e. the lines on the right hand side and pass them through the open loop three times.

E	Wet the knot again. Pull the knot tight and trim the tag end.

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